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© St. Petersburg Times, published July 15, 2002
JAMMU, India -- Tensions between India and Pakistan flared anew Sunday when India blamed its rival and Islamic militants for the massacre of 27 Hindu civilians in a swarming slum in India-controlled Kashmir.
"How long will we bear this?" Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani asked at the Qasimnagar slum on the outskirts of Jammu, winter capital of Jammu-Kashmir state and site of Saturday evening's massacre.
At the base of the hill from which the heavily armed attackers emerged, thousands of wailing slum residents protested furiously. Raising their fists, they shouted slogans against Pakistan, and India's federal and state governments, mobbing politicians visiting the scene.
But there was no indication that India's military was planning reprisals on the border with Pakistan, as it did after a May 14 strike by Islamic militants against a military base near Jammu that killed 34 people, mostly soldiers' wives and children.
In a statement Sunday, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry condemned the "killing of a number of civilians and injuries to many others" and said "the motivation behind the attack seems to be to enhance tension in the region."
SEOUL, South Korea -- Protesters burned a giant American flag on Sunday, demanding that the U.S. military hand over two U.S. soldiers whose armored vehicle allegedly hit and killed two South Korean girls last month.
Nearly 1,000 activists and students rallied near the U.S. Army's 2nd Infantry Division base in Uijongbu, on the northern outskirts of Seoul, chanting, "We oppose the U.S. military!"
The demonstrators briefly scuffled with South Korean riot police who stopped them from entering the base to deliver a letter of protest. No arrests or injuries were reported.
The U.S. military is planning a trial at a U.S. military court in South Korea. If convicted, the soldiers could face up to six years in prison.